No empty calories: Food for Thought' repertory performance provokes as it entertains

UKIAH, CA -- "Food for Thought," dances about food, our relationship to food, and dances that provoke deep thoughts, comes to the Mendocino College Center Theatre on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 16 and 17 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 18 at 2 p.m. In its 24th annual celebration of dance, the 16-member Mendocino College Repertory Dance Company presents pieces on a smorgasbord of subjects including fruit, picnics, relationships, technology, extinction, self-discovery, memories, Japanese folk tales, and more.

The idea for "Food for Thought" occurred to Leslie Saxon West, Chair of the Mendocino College Dance Department and the director of its repertory, as she was driving to Los Angeles with her friend, Mendocino College art professor Paula Gray. "We spoke about a possible theme for this year's repertory dance performance," Saxon West explains. "As we were nibbling on snacks, Paula blurted out: How about food?' And that was the beginning of a very entertaining eight-hour drive!"

The show will open with a fruity appetizer as dancers perform to New Orleans-style music in "Tooty Frooty," choreographed by College dance instructor Katie Whitmarsh.

According to Whitmarsh, "This dance is sassy, cute, and silly -- with lots of fruit to go with it."

Also on the lighter side is a series of short dances entitled "Picnic Suite," choreographed by Leslie Saxon West, Susan Era, and the dancers.

"Often these short vignettes are what stand out most in people's minds when they see our shows," comments Saxon West. "Everyone needs a break from the seriousness of life."

Other dances will be more thought-provoking. Perhaps the most powerful is "C.O.M.A.," by San Francisco-based dancer and choreographer Christine Cali. Our dependence on cell phones is a key theme in this dance, which poses many important questions. As Cali puts it, "Plugged into the technological state of being and unplugged from ourselves and each other, what happens next? How are we evolving as a species and does the word evolve' seem pertinent as we distance ourselves from the human experience and move into a more artificial existence?"

Other interesting pieces will be presented by student choreographers and performers Michael Maltas, Macaela Stenback, Brenda Lopez, and Gwenn Glotnis, who created dances inspired by well-known painters such as Georgia O'Keefe and Edward Hopper.

In a choreography class last spring, students were asked to place themselves into the painting of their choice, write a short story based on that experience, and then choreograph movements coinciding with their written stories. These movements became the basis of their dances.

Saxon West exclaims, "I'm very excited about these student works! We will project photographs of the paintings behind the dances as they are performed, along with brief words by the performers."

Brenda Lopez, whose dance is titled "Self Discovery," adds, "This dance challenged me to create movement that represented the stresses I was experiencing in my life during that time. I was being pushed and pulled in so many directions ... At the end of the dance my heart will be left on the stage!"

Members of the Mendocino Ballet, under the direction of Trudy McCreanor, will appear as guests to perform "Half Your Angels." The song was written by David Crosby and Graham Nash after the Oklahoma City bombing and was released again after the Sept. 11 attacks. McCreanor was inspired to choreograph the piece after the shooting of Trayvon Martin earlier in 2012.

Tickets for "Food for Thought" are $10 general admission and $8 for seniors, children 12 and under, and ASMC cardholders. Tickets may be purchased in advance at the Mendocino Book Company on School St. in Ukiah, the Mendocino College Bookstore on the Ukiah campus, or by calling (707) 468-3079. More information is also at the Mendocino College website, www.mendocino.edu.